Pérez Requests Manual Vote Recount In Controllers Primary Election

After coming in third in a very tight primary race for California State Controller, Assemblyman John Pérez has requested a hand recount in 15 closely contested counties. Board of Equalization member Betty Yee finished second.

Just one hundredth of one percent of the vote separated Pérez from Yee. Steve Boilard is with Sacramento State University’s Center for California Studies. He says intra-party fighting over recounted votes probably won’t do much damage to whomever moves on to the November election.

“Most of your voters aren’t paying a lot of attention to this stuff right now anyway,” says Boilard. “So by the time you’re into November, for the average person it’s going to be is there a D or is there an R behind that person’s name.”

Fresno Republican Mayor Ashley Swearingen finished first in the primary and will face whomever emerges from the recount.

Betty Yee’s campaign says it will request its own recount should the Pérez challenge change the results of the vote. She would have 24 hours to request a full statewide recount, or a recount in whatever county she might select.

Max covers the state capital, bringing more than a decade of experience in print and public radio, including reporting for KPFA, KQED and KALW. He traces his news roots to working on his his high school newspaper. Read Full Bio